Calmes, John P.

Louis is a senior partner at GWC. Growing up the son of an Italian immigrant who owned a union construction company in Northern Illinois, Louis acquired considerable experience and respect for the men and women working in the construction industry. His warm family upbringing has played a significant part in developing Louis’ reputation as an compassionate, aggressive trial lawyer in the representation of severely injured individuals, and families suffering the loss of a loved one in wrongful death cases.
 
Louis graduated from Marquette University with a Business Degree and then  received his law degree at Loyola University School of Law in Chicago in 1983. He is a distinguished member of:

• Board of Managers in the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
• Justinian Society of Italian Lawyers;
• Society of Trial Lawyers
• American Association for Justice
• Chicago Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association

Louis has earned the distinction of being honored with the:

• Italian American Labor Council’s “Person of the Year" Award
• Leonardo da Vinci Award of Excellence in the Law by the National Grand
• Lodge of the Order Sons of Italy
• Italian American Executive of Transportation Council's "Man of the Year"

Louis has consistently been honored with the distinction of being named to the Leading Lawyers Network and to the list of Illinois’ Superlawyers.

Louis has lectured extensively to attorneys through the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and speaks regularly to building trades members concerning their legal rights.

His experience as a personal injury trial lawyer includes representing clients that have sustained traumatic brain injury, paralysis, multiple fractures, amputation of a limb and wrongful death. He has successfully tried cases involving construction negligence, product liability, trucking accident fatalities, Federal Employer Liability Act cases, automobile accidents, slip and falls and other types of catastrophic injuries.

Louis has always loved the challenge of taking on a difficult case, or trying a lawsuit in an area that tends to be a conservative venue. Routinely, defense attorneys will say "This isn't Cook County, Louis. You'll never get that kind of money in our county." That has been a challenged that he has responded to by procuring numerous record verdicts and settlements throughout the state. In fact, a few years back, his law firm had more $1 million PLUS settlements outside of Cook County than any other law firm in Illinois; and Louis personally had more than any other lawyer in the state.

Maximizing the value of his clients' cases has always been important to him. Louis is very proud that over the years he has established record verdicts and settlements in many counties throughout Illinois, including, Lake, Kane, DeKalb, Sycamore and Jo Davies.

Louis has fought some of the biggest insurance companies, contractors and corporations on behalf of his clients. His clients have always been the Davids versus the Goliaths. “I pride myself, and my law firm, on being the champion for the little guy. At GWC, we wouldn't have it any other way.”

When not practicing law, Louis spends his time with his wife and three adult children and participates in all types of upland game hunting and big game safaris throughout the world.